


The Mother of War

by DollyDivine



Series: The Mother [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bucky Barnes Returns, Clint Barton & Natasha Romanov Friendship, Clint Barton Feels, Clint Barton Is a Good Bro, F/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Protective Steve, Protective Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers Feels, Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-09-12
Packaged: 2020-07-07 23:30:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19859815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DollyDivine/pseuds/DollyDivine
Summary: After the snap, Dottie lost everything. Now, five years on, there's a sliver of hope that they can undo the damage done. All she has to do is learn to trust again.A sequel to The Mother of All Secrets.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So a lot of you asked for a sequel and here it is! Hope you enjoy!

**5 Years Later**

A cool breeze gently tangled her golden locks around one another as droplets of rain ran down them. She listened intently to the heartbeats of the people she was watching, all of which were completely oblivious to her presence. They were squabbling amongst themselves in the dark, ready to bare arms against each other over a missing shipment. She waited patiently for his signal which she knew would come any second. When the first of the men fell with an arrow to the head, that was when she dropped from her hiding place and began to fight.

She took out three men, all of which had their backs to her, never seeing her coming. Each one a clean slit to the throat as blood poured from the open wound. He was already down from his perch, taking care of the rest of them. Eight bodies littered the street as a crimson river mixed with the rain and ran into the drain pipes. She caught her breath as the adrenaline from what she had just done subsided in her body. It was never enough, never lasted for long but it was the only thing keeping her alive. 

Neither of them spoke until they made it back to the rendezvous location. They undressed in silence, neither of which bothered about seeing the other naked anymore. They'd fucked once, not so long ago, hoping it would help them feeling something other than pain but it wasn’t enough. She felt nothing but guilt afterwards but the temptation of him was always there. She was comfortable around him, she trusted him more than anyone else in this world. If this was all life had left to offer her, then he wasn’t so bad.

Ever since that night she could feel his eyes on her, trying so hard not to look but struggling to resist temptation. She knew he felt it too afterwards, the guilt. Feeling as though you’ve cheated on the one you’ve lost, pretending that the person you’re holding onto is them but it isn’t and it never will be. 

She could feel it again, the need for him, for satisfaction. She turned to him, wearing nothing but her underwear and a tank top as he took off his t-shirt. He looked her up and down, contemplating saying no but he knew he couldn’t resist it any longer, he needed it just as much as she did. 

She was in his arms by the time he'd thrown his shirt to the floor. Her soft skin was bliss to his callous fingers. She ran her hand through his hair as she leaned in to press a kiss to his lips when someone knocked at the door. Within seconds, they were both armed, weapons pointing at the direction of the noise.

“Dottie, it’s me. It’s Papa, open up.”

She sighed under her breath. _Shit._

“Look, we just want to talk. Will you please let us in?”

Natasha. It must be serious if they’ve come together. She threw Clint his shirt as she put her jeans back on before opening the door. Her hand was on the handle when she looked back at him, awaiting his approval. His face had grown serious, no where near as relaxed as it was moments ago. He gave her a nod once he was properly dressed.

Dottie opened the door to find the two people they had spent so long running from. Natasha's hair was shorter, it was back to its natural auburn colour and cut into a neat bob. Her father’s face still looked the same, that stern look and puppy dog eyes staring back at her behind a thick beard and mop of hair.

“Can we come in?”

She nodded and let them passed. It had been two years since they'd last seen each other. She knew her father had been searching for her and could have found them quite easily but he knew she needed space. She wasn’t ready to go back and neither was Clint so why they were here now was beyond her.

“How've you been?” her father whispered to her. He looked so nervous, like he wanted to reach out to her and hold her but he didn’t. The last time they had spoke, the conversation didn’t end well. 

“I'm ok.” Was all she could mumble back.

The snap completely broke Steve and Dolores. He had spent the first few weeks chasing leads to find Thanos and when he discovered the stones had been destroyed, they knew all hope of getting Bucky and the baby back were lost. Her and her father spent years after that going after every little piece of information they could, anything to keep them going. Their relationship had gotten so close, they talked about everything, they cried and even laughed together. But after 3 years, it all fell apart.

“We saw what you did to those men down by the docks.” Natasha quipped in Clint’s direction.

“Ain’t nothing they didn’t deserve.” He replied. Dottie bit when she caught Natasha rolling her eyes at him.

“Those men were forcing children as young as 13 to distribute their heroin. Some of the girls were forced to sell more than just drugs. So if you’ve come here to scold us and tell us to stop, then save it. While there are still people on this planet that don’t deserve to be here, Clint and I will carry on serving them justice.”

“That’s not why we're here.” Steve interrupted, “We think we've found a way...”

“Don't.” Dottie replied with a look of horror and bewilderment on her exhausted features. She took a seat on the unmade bed as her father knelt at her feet trying to get her to look at him.

“Stark thinks he might have found a way...”

“Stark! Him? After everything he did?!” She got louder, “Don't do this, Papa.”

“It's a time machine.” Natasha piped up.

“We talking Dolorian or phone box? What the fuck, Natasha!” Clint snapped.

“I can’t. Please, Papa. Don’t give me hope.”

Everyone went silent then, even Steve looked away from her, holding back tears.

“I wouldn't be here if I didn’t think we could. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

A single tear ran down her cheek as she looked towards her father. There was a sparkle in his eyes, a glimmer of hope that he had lost a long time ago, finally returned. What ever it was Stark had found, her father truly believed it would work. She then looked to Clint who she could tell was dubious. He stared back at her, knowing that whatever she chose, he would follow. 

“How can you trust him? After everything that man did?”

“Believe me, I’ll never forgive him for what he did to you, we've had some serious words about it. But I trust him. He wouldn't get involved if it wasn’t possible.”

“We can do this, but we need the full team to do it.” Natasha chimed in looking between Dottie and Clint.

Dottie took one last look at Clint and then to her father, “Alright, I’m in.”


	2. Chapter 2

The return flight to America was only four hours in the quinjet but they were the longest and quietest she'd ever endured. Natasha and Clint had sat at the back for an hour of it, making their peace and eventually hugging it out. All the while her father kept trying to make conversation with her but she wasn’t biting. She would work with him but she wasn’t ready to forgive him just yet.

The moment the jet landed, she was at its rear with her bag in her hand and waited for the hatch to open.

“You alright?” Clint mumbled as he stood beside her.

“I will be once I get off this fucking plane.” She said it under her breath but she knew that her father would be able to hear even from the opposite end of the plane.

As soon as the doors opened, she stormed ahead of everyone else. There were people on the lawn of the Avengers facility waiting to greet them but Dottie didn’t even give them a second glance. None of them were the person she was looking for.

Dolores stormed into the glass building and listened. She knew his heartbeat, it used to haunt her dreams many years ago, back when she had dreams and not recurring nightmares. She found him in a secluded corner of a workshop, sat in an armchair and nursing a whiskey. She instantly dropped her bag and pulled out her gun.

“Nice to see you too, Bonnie.” He quipped. It took her all her strength not to shoot him there and then.

“Dottie, put down the gun.” She'd heard her fathers footsteps follow swiftly behind her, he had to get involved.

“I was pregnant when you shot me.” She stated, as calmly as she could, “I didn’t know it, it was early stages but I was.”

“If you didn't know then I certainly didn't." 

“Just like James didn't know what he was doing when he killed your parents. You have no idea what they did to him, what it took to take out their programming...” Dottie held her composure but her eyes began to well with unshed tears.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t think rationally and made more than one or two mistakes that day. But I’m trying to make it up here, I’m trying to bring them back.”

She lowered her gun. She never had any intention of hurting him, she just needed to feel power over him.

“And when we do, you leave us alone. I’ve lost him once, I won’t do it again.”

“Agreed.”

Dottie turned and left the room then in search of Clint and a stiff drink of her own but Steve wasn't going to let this lie. Tony shot him a sympathetic look as he ran out the room after his daughter.

“Dolores, you stop right there!"

“Or what? Gunna shoot me Papa or send me to my room?”

“You are gunna sit your ass down in this god damn chair and we are going to talk!” 

He had never used such a tone with her before but she did as she was told. She took the seat closest to the door and furthest from him but he just walked to her and knelt at her feet like he did when he found her with Clint. She crossed her arms and kept her eyes to the door to her right, ready to pounce through it at any chance she would get. 

“Look at me, Dolores.” He begged, “Please.”

She only caved once she caught a glimpse of Clint through the door. He was there if she needed him and she was grateful for it. She stayed silent until he spoke as he had more to say than she did.

“Dolores, I’m so sorry. For everything; for pushing you away, for not being there but mainly for the snap. I failed you, I had a part to play in Thanos winning, I was on that field that day and nothing anyone says will take that guilt from me. I have spent the last 5 years doing everything I can to undo this for you. The only reason I asked you to stop was because it had consumed you. I thought by getting you to stop in the search to reverse it, you could find some resemblance of peace.” 

Steve took a seat on the chair opposite her, running his hand over his face. He barely recognised the woman sat before him. Her shoulders were broader and her demeanour was no longer that of the frightened young girl he found in the apartment in Bucharest. Her physique had gotten stronger to match his serum running through her veins.

“This was never your fault, Papa. But the only peace I have ever known was with James, how was I supposed to find that without him?”

“I’m glad that you found Barton but what you are doing together? You can't just kill people, Dolores! There are laws for a reason!”

“And who is there to inforce them? Half of all police forces diminished that day and you expect me to sit idly by and let those scumbags continue to crawl the earth? How was what we did any different to when you disappeared for 6 months to defeat Hydra?”

“I’ve apologised for that numerous times. I was trying to make the world a safer place for you both. For the three of you...”

“Don’t you dare!” She lost her cool with him then.

“Dolores...”

“Don't bring my daughter into this! You pushed me out because you've never thought I was strong enough to handle this!” 

“Its not that you aren’t strong enough, I have never doubted your strength. It’s because I’m scared!”

They both went silent with his admission.

“I’m so scared I lose you too and I can’t handle that. You're all I have Dolores.” A tear fell down his cheek, “I love you, I’m so sorry.”

He'd never said that before. The only person to declare their love for her was James, it had been so long since she'd heard it. It burst the damn she was holding back and she shed tears she'd been wanting to unleash for years.

“I love you too, Papa. But I’m no longer naive to this world anymore. There is nothing you can hid me from that I already haven’t seen.”

She stood from her seat and bent down to kiss him on the cheek. He still had pain and tears etched across his face but they had made their peace. There was nothing more to say that night. 

Dottie walked out of that room and into Clint's arms in the next. He kissed her forehead and rubbed his hand up and down her spine, knowing fine well that this would be the last time they would embrace like this. Neither of them needed to say it but what tomorrow would bring would be the start of them getting their old lives back. It was time to leave this one behind and that included anything they had between each other. There would always be a special place in each of their hearts for the other, but neither would mourn the end of what they had.

She broke it off first and left for her room without glancing back at him. Tomorrow was a new day.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, Dottie woke from the best nights sleep she'd had in nearly 6 years. She was surprised to look at her watch and see it read some time after 9 instead of something before 6. Her room at the Avengers facility hadn't been touched in the two years since she'd left, it was nice to be somewhere that felt familiar. She got up and took a shower, knowing that today would be a long one.

She went through her old wardrobe, hoping to find something that would fit her new, muscular physique and was blindsided when she came across a particular blue dress. It shocked her, she'd almost forgot it existed but just one glance at that sky blue chiffon and she was instantly transported back to the night her and James escaped Hydra. It was love and hope and freedom nicely topped off with a satin bow. But they were still at war, pretty dresses would have to wait until it had been won.

When she was finally dressed in a pair of jeans and one of her Papa's old flannel shirts, she made her way to find the rest of the team. It had been a long time since she'd seen them all together like this, not since a few months after the snap first happened. She'd stayed in Wakanda for the first three months, petrified to leave the room she'd given birth to her daughter in in case by some miracle she came back. But when things were looking fruitless; Thanos was dead and Thor and Stark had abandoned all hope, she went to help. Leaving Wakanda was the hardest decision she'd ever made but it was the right thing to do.

She found Clint first, his eyes watching over Stark, Lang and a very green looking Banner squabbling over a science beyond her understanding. He handed her a mug of coffee as she tried to decipher the holographs being projected onto the wall.

“Any ideas what all of this is about then?” she whispered to Clint.

He smirked at her while sipping from his own cup, “Fucked if I know.”

“Glad you could finally join us Mini Cap. Now that the full team is together, let’s start from the top so we're all on the same page...”

Stark went on for over an hour, occasionally interrupted by Lang and Banner and Rocket before Dottie could finally get her head around the plan.

“So we're going back in time to steal the stones, bring them here and re-use them to bring everyone back, is that what you’re trying to explain to us?” Dottie snapped when Stark used the words quantum realm for the 100th time and she still didn’t understand what it meant.

“Pretty much, yeah.” He quipped.

“What we need to figure out is when and where we're going back too.” Natasha intervened, “Most of you have at some point been in contact with a stone. We need a timeline for each so we can figure out the best time to return too.”

Dottie looked at her Papa, “Have Hydra ever had any?” 

“I took the Tesseract from them when I crashed the plane in 1945. They stole Loki's staff in 2012 back before we knew Shield had been corrupted.”

“So the tesseract and the staff were both in New York in 2012?” Dottie replied. The room went silent and all eyes turned to her. Half this room had genius level statues and not one of them had realised what Dottie found so obvious.

Natasha grinned, “And the time stone. Its kept in New York, protected by the Ancient One.”

“So there's 3, what about the rest?” Steve inquired.

“I can return to my home, Jane had the Aether running through her veins at one point. I believe the Earth year was 2013.” Thor piped up as he finished off his fourth bottle of beer since the meeting began.

After another hour of back and forth and debating whether it was safe to go after three stones in one timeline, they had a solid plan. The team was split up into four; Rocket and Thor were going to Asgard, Nebula and Rhodey were going to Morag, Natasha and Clint were going to Vormir while Steve, Stark, Lang and Dottie were going to New York. Banner was to stay behind to ensure the machine ran without a hitch.

The rest of the day was spent in preparation, they decided amongst themselves to do it the following day after a decent nights sleep and a fresh start. Dottie was glad for the delay, she needed a moment to get her head round everything, it was a lot to take in. Within the next 24hrs, she could be holding her baby and her husband again. She had tried not to think of them for so long, the pain being too much and now they were practically in reaching distance. 

Dottie was currently laid in the middle of the helipad, looking up at the night sky and counting all the stars. The last time she did that was in Wakanda with James on nights when her swollen belly prevented her from sleeping. Her hand subconsciously drifted to her now flat stomach as she let her fingers run over the scar Stark had so kindly given to her all those years ago.

“Mind if I join you?”

She turned her head to find Natasha taking a seat and lying down besides her. Dottie had been so caught up in her own thoughts she hadn’t heard her coming.

“Knock yourself out.” She returned in Russian. 

Before she'd left to join Clint, Dottie and Natasha had formed a close friendship, it was her who had steered her into Clint’s path. Natasha hadn't always believed that this day would come. After the snap, she set up a facility in New York for children who had lost their parents and had nowhere to go. She ended up extending it so that there was one in ever major city in America. And yet she would still find the time to check in on the team every once in awhile.

“How are you feeling?” she asked as she too looked up at the sky.

“I’m nervous, Nat. What do we do if this doesn’t work? What if it does and James doesn’t like the woman he finds when he comes back? And don't even start me on the baby.”

“If this doesn’t work, then you won't lose anymore than you already have. And if it does? Well, we all have to take it one step at a time, don't we? Relationships will need rebuilding, everyone is going to need time to recover from this. Yours and James’ relationship is one of the strongest I know.”

“But, I cheated on him. Me and Clint...”

“You and Clint had spent two years living in each others pockets. Something was bound to happen eventually and I’m sure James will understand. Five years is a long time.”

“Did you know, when you told me where he was, did you know something would happen between us?”

Natasha smiled, “I had a feeling that you would find peace in each other. You both lost so much, I just wanted to give you both a life beyond redemption. I thought you both would have settled down together by now.”

“We could never have stopped, even if we wanted too. We aren’t enough for each other. Clint isn’t some missing puzzle piece I’ve been searching for. It was always James, I won’t settle for anything less. Just like Clint won't accept anyone other than Laura. I think that’s why we worked so well together.”

“But something did happen?”

“One night. That’s all it was, just to get it out of our systems. It would have been two if you and Pa hadn’t turned up.”

Natasha started to laugh, “Awkward!”

“Just a bit.” Dottie chuckled, “But I’m glad you came to find us. I want to do my part in bringing them back. I owe it to them, to James and our baby.”

They laid in silence for a little while after that both just enjoying the quiet. Nat took her hand in hers, giving it a gentle squeeze before she got up and left Dottie alone. This was going to be big for all of them if they manage to pull it off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has a brief meeting with The Ancient One who I have chose to give they/their pronouns for. In my eyes, I see them as an androgynous being and found this to be more suitable for them. Enjoy!

When Dottie woke up the following day, she didn’t have to worry about what she was going to wear. The night before, she had been given a tactical suit covered in all the latest Stark tech. She felt reluctant at first to put it on but she knew it was necessary for the mission. It was a tight fit, the white lycra material left little to the imagination but it was breathable and easy enough to move around in.

As she made her way to the lab to meet with the others, she bumped into her father. It was clear that he had come out of his way to find her but she was grateful, she needed to speak with him.

“Good morning Pa. Just the person I wanted to see.”

She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a hug that he gladly reciprocated. They stood there for a few moments, it had been such a long time since they’d last hugged and in this game, you never know if it could be the last.

“I’m so sorry we didn’t do this sooner, Dottie. I just wanted to give you the space you needed.”

“I know, Papa. I’m sorry too. I acted like a petulant child...”

“You acted like a woman, grieving over the loss of her husband and child and wanted to do anything to bring them back. I shouldn’t have pushed you away.”

They broke away their embrace and put their game faces on. Her father straightened his broad shoulders and tightened his jaw, a sign that he was preparing himself for a mission. She had once hear Clint refer to it as his ‘Captain America mode' and she couldn’t think of a better way to describe it. His whole demeanour changed within seconds from her lovable, friendly dad to serious super soldier. Clint would tell her that she would do the same thing right before they went on a mission but she couldn’t see it in herself. Her father had an air of cool, calm confidence that she could never quite perfect. Her mission face always looked like it wanted to rip someone’s head off.

The tension was high and the silence heavy amongst the team as they all congregated around the Stark's time machine. Dottie checked over her weapon and placed it in its holster as she stood besides Clint giving him a wink and a smile.

“We all know what we're going and everyone has their co-ordinates?” Her father asked one last time. 

“See you on the other side.” Natasha smirked as the machine began to power up and everyone put down their visors. 

Within seconds, a bright light consumed them all and she began to feel weightless. There was a rush of air, hundreds of thousands of bright colourful lights guiding them to their destination and then it all came to a halt. She opened her eyes and found herself amongst the rubble of a destroyed 2012 New York along with her father, Stark and Lang.

“Dolores, you know where you’re going? You get into any trouble, you know what to do.”

“I’ve got this, Pa. You concentrate on getting your stones and I’ll meet you back here in an hour.”

Dottie sprinted through the destruction, leaving the others behind. She had been charged with retrieving the Time stone from someone called The Ancient One, a powerful being that they knew very little about. She had a feeling it wouldn’t be easy but she liked a challenge. When she saw the Chitauri being desecrated as they passed over a building that looked like a library, she knew she'd found the place she was looking for, the Sanctum. 

Dottie made her way up the fire escape on the side of the building as a pod holding several of the alien creatures swooped down onto the roof top. As she made it to the top, she managed to take one of them down but not before she was almost shot herself.

“Apologies, I thought you were one of them.” 

The Ancient One hovered over Dottie with a hand out to help her up. She gladly took it and as she did she spotted the stone hanging round their neck. The Ancient One looked at her curiously.

“You're not from around here, are you?”

“No, I'm not. I’ve come because I need your help.”

The Ancient One looked at her curiously before replying, “I'm afraid your efforts where for nothing. The stone won’t be going anywhere today.”

A strange surge of energy travelled through Dottie from where she was still holding the Ancient One's hand. She watched as her their hands parted and Dottie’s dropped to the floor along with the rest of her body. But she was still perfectly stood on the roof top.

“Am I dead?” She asked as calmly as she could while looking down on her body.

“No. This is your astral form, your soul if you will. I can return you to it but that all depends.”

“On what?”

“On why you are here. You are supposed to be in a facility in Russia, if I'm not mistaken?”

“The present day me is, but I’m not from this time. How do you know about me?”

The Ancient One casually tapped on the golden pendant swinging from her neck, “I see many things with this. Mainly my own future but occasionally others. I saw you once, many years ago in the future of an acquaintance. What do you need the stone for?”

Dottie didn’t have time to ask more questions, she needed to get back and fast, “I need to take it back to 2023 with me. In the year 2018, another alien army will invade Earth. The one controlling them, Thanos, will use that stone and five others to eradicate half of all living things, not just in this world but the whole universe. The stones have been destroyed in my time but if we recollect the stone from the past, we can bring everyone back. Please, I need your help.”

“And what of this time line? By taking the stone from here and now you are destroying the time lines and creating something completely different. You would be dooming this present days as well as affecting your own. I'm sorry but I can't allow that.”

“Not if we bring them back. We don’t plan on keeping them. Once we've brought everyone back, we'll return the stones to their rightful places. Once I take the stone, someone would bring it back to you with in a few minute. Tony Stark spoke with Dr Strange right before he disappeared, he said this was the only way.”

The Ancient One, who had been wondering round Dottie’s body stopped and looked at her, “Stranger? He's meant to be the best of us.”

“And I believe he is. He handed over the stone to Thanos for a reason. The path that the team and I are on is the only way to get then back.”

The Ancient One knelt at Dottie's body and took her hand again. They closed their eyes and the time stone began to glow in their chest. After a few moments, they looked back up at Dottie's floating form.

“You've lost a great deal. So much pain.” They murmered.

The Ancient One reached out her hand and gently pushed at Dottie's chest. Her astral self re-entered her body and she found herself lying on the floor. The Ancient One was still towering above her but now had the pendant dangling in their hand.

“If Strange claimed it to be the only way, then so be it. But I will need it back and soon.”

“I promise you, you'll barely notice it's gone.”

And with that, Dottie tucked the stone into a satchel on her uniform and made her way back to the meeting point.


	5. Chapter 5

Dottie returned to the meeting point a little over an hour after leaving it and found her father and Stark squabbling.

“We've changed the timeline Tony, what are we going to do about the Tesseract? How do we find it now?”

Her father was losing his patience with a very exasperated Stark while Lang sat in a desecrated car besides them trying to rack his brain. She leaned against the car and spoke with Scott while the other two continued arguing.

“What happened?”

“Stark got hit by the Hulk and dropped the Tesseract which Loki escaped with. But on the plus side we got the staff!” Scott waved it in front of her.

“Well, I got the Time stone. Can't we just go back and grab the Tesseract from a different time?”

“We don't have enough Pym’s particles. We have enough to get us home, that’s it.” Steve remarked as he and Tony finally ceased their bickering and turned towards her.

“Papa, your arm!”

Dottie hadn't noticed him cradling his left arm to his chest until he faced her. There was a deep gash on his forearm that would definitely require stitches but nothing the serum couldn’t fix after a few days recovery. She went over to him, pulling a small medical kit out of one of the many compartments in her suit and began wrapping his injury. 

“Not if we went back and got some more particles as well as the Tesseract.” Stark piped up, “I think I know where we can find both.”

Dottie looked at her father’s injury and then back to Stark. She took the time stone from her pocket and put it in her Papa's hand.

“Are you sure about this, Stark?” she questioned.

“Pretty sure. Like, almost 73% sure.”

“Dottie, no. Where are you both going?” 

“A certain military base in 1970. Cap, I think it’s best you sit this one out.” Stark commented.

Dottie stood besides Stark as he gave her the coordinates they were travelling to next.

“Papa, you can't go with your arm like that. Besides, what if someone recognises you? How do you explain why you aren’t at the bottom of the ocean? Stark and I are unknown in that time, its safer if it’s us.”

Steve sighed, giving in. She was right, he was no good in this condition. He walked up to his daughter and gave her one final kiss on the forehead before letting her go and then turning to Stark.

“You keep her safe, Tony.”

“I promise. You ready, kid?” 

Dottie nodded, “You sure you know where we're going?”

“Trust me.”

She took one final look at her father before pressing the button on her device that sent her and Stark back into the quantum realm. Moments later, they landed with a jolt in what looked like an abandoned storage facility. Stark was the first one to move, checking that the coast was clear outside the door. 

“Did it work?” Dottie whispered in case anyone heard them.

“Looks like it.” He closed the door and started rummaging through some of the boxes.

“Stark, what are you doing?”

He pulled out a military uniform and threw it in her direction. She put the uniform on, making sure to tuck all her hair into the cap as Stark changed into a dusty old suit. He signalled for her to come closer to the door as he peeked it open ever so slightly.

“You see that building over there?” He pointed, “That is were the Tesseract and Hank Pym's lab are both kept. I’ve had one or two meetings here before. It's a secret underground base. I think I remember the layout. Once we get in, you go for the particles, I’ll handle the stone. Sound good?”

“Sounds like a plan. We'll meet back here in 30 minutes.” 

“Let’s move, Mini Cap.”

The made their way to the small building on the outskirts of the military base and through the door to the elevator. According to Stark's memory of the facility, all laboratories were on the 3rd floor down while storage was on the 5th. 

“I meant it when I said I was sorry. That day, I lost control...”

“It's fine, Stark.” Dottie snapped back, really not wanting to talk about it again. It took the loss of her husband and child to stop her from having nightmares about that day. Now she repeatedly dreamt of losing them.

“When we get them back, and we will, I want to apologise to him. To... Bucky.” He said through grit teeth, taking all his strength to say his name, “I want him to know I forgive him. You were right, it wasn’t his fault.”

Dottie lowered her head and nodded. She never imagined she would hear those words come from Stark. She hoped they both would make it so James could hear them too.

“That can't have been easy to say. Thank you.”

“I’ve done a lot of thinking over the last 5 years. A lot of growing up, so to speak.”

“How old is your daughter now?” Dottie asked curiously. She knew Stark had had a child since the snap but she knew very little about her.

“She's 4 going on 14, I think.”

“How do you do it? How do you not fear for her every waking second?”

“Oh, believe me, I do. When we found out we were pregnant, I build her room from scratch. The crib would turn into a protective suit and was programmed to fly her to a safe location in case of an emergency. I had a suit build into the wardrobe just in case I needed it, one for Pepper too. I have done everything in my power to wrap her in cotton wool but I am still so petrified for her, every damn day.”

Dottie could understand that feeling. When she was pregnant, while James was in his cryogenic coma, she was on edge every minute. Her daughter was her greatest achievement in life, she did everything in her power to protect her. Right up until the snap.

“Kids don’t come with an instruction manual but you'll be fine. When we get her back, it'll all come to you. You'll know what to do.”

Dottie highly doubted that.

They spent the rest of the short journey in silence. Dottie departed from the lift first, giving Tony a weak smile as she left. 

She found Pym's laboratory easily but unfortunately when she peeked through the window in the door, he was still inside. She had to get him out of there and she needed to think fast. She wrapped her knuckles against the wooden frame and waited for him to answer.

“What do you want? Can’t you see I'm busy right now.” The fair haired Doctor snapped as he opened the door ajar. 

“The mail room have sent me, you need to come quick. There's a packaged for you and it’s vibrating and glowing. One of the guys who opened it doesn’t look too good, Sir.”

“Oh my god, they opened it!”

And with that Dr Pym was out of his lab and off like a shot to the mail room. Dottie snuck into the room, careful not to be seen by anyone else. It took her a minute but she found the particles and collected as many as she could before sneaking out again. 

She kept the tip of her cap pulled low to shield her face from any passers by. As she was heading back to the elevator, it pinged with the return of Pym to his lab, muttering profanities under his breath. Luckily, Dottie managed to duck into an office before he saw her.

“Can I help you?” said a shrill English accent that Dottie knew all too well. There sat behind a desk, barely looking up from the paper in her hands was Peggy Carter. Dottie cleared the frog in her throat before speaking.

“Erm... my apologise for not knocking Ma'am. The mail room sent me, its urgent.”

“What is it?”

“A package for you Ma'am. It’s not exactly something I could bring down to you.”

“Thank you.” Peggy quipped as she rose from her chair, “I don't believe we've met, I'm Agent Carter.”

She reached out a hand to Dottie which she shook enthusiastically.

“Oh, I know who you are. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sergeant... Barnes.”

The corner of Peggy's lip tweaked up into a smile, “I used to know a Sergeant Barnes once, you’re not related to anyone from Brooklyn by any chance?”

“No Ma'am.”

Peggy opened the door for them to both step out. Just as the door was closing, Dottie spotted an old picture of her father pre-serum on the desk and smiled. She took one last look at her mother in all her glory. She looked magnificent; her hair curled into a neat bob, the roots just showing some whispers of grey and deep laughter lines around her mouth and brow. She looked just like she did in the video at the Smithsonian, they must have been recorded around about this time. 

“That'll be all then Sergeant.”

And away she went, strutting down the corridor to the elevator with her head held high, like she owned the building and everyone in it. Dottie was enthralled. But she didn’t have time to dwell, she needed to meet Stark. She ran up several flights of stairs and snuck back out through the main entrance, again keeping her head down. She finally took a sigh of relief once she was back in the storage room.

Stark still hadn't returned yet so Dottie sat on a storage box, tucked out of sight of the door and let the weight of todays events hit her. Her shoulders sagged, aching from holding so much tension in them. Her mother, the woman she has spent the last seven years of freedom idolising was just yards away. If only she knew who the girl was she’d just share a room with moments ago. What would she think of Dottie's recent escapades? 

What her and Clint had been doing was more than just saving the innocent and punishing the wicked. They were the hands of God, butchering more people than either could remember. For the first time in two years, she felt shame. She had become more of a monster than Pearce could have even dreamed of. At least he would have finally been proud of her.

The creak of the door brought her back to the present as a pale looking Stark finally arrived back.

“Did you get it?”

Stark nodded, “You?”

“Yeah. I saw my mother.”

“Peggy's in there?”

Dottie replied with a nod, fearing the shame she felt might boil over into tears.

“I saw my Dad, too. First time in nearly thirty years.”

“Weird, isn’t it?” Dottie smirked, trying to make light of the situation.

“Yep, definitely weird.”

Dottie pulled out two lots of Pym particles, one for her device and one for Tony's. She hesitated, looking back at the door before punching in the coordinates. Tony noticed but said nothing other than offering her a sympathetic smile and a pat on the arm. He counted down from 3 to 1 as they both activated their suits and headed home.


	6. Chapter 6

The deafening noise of the machine powering down and the feel of solid ground beneath her boots let Dottie know she was home. She felt a huge amount of relief and exhaustion and excitement. They had done it. 

Everyone returned to the lab at exactly the same time. What was 10 seconds for Dr Banner had been an hour for Steve and Lang and several hours for Dottie and Stark. Dottie eventually opened her eyes to find the team all together again, everyone looking just how she felt. But the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she knew something was wrong. She looked to her right where Clint should be stood and found an empty spot.

“Natasha, where's Clint?”

What she initially taken as relief on Natasha's face was actually shock and grief. When she didn’t answer, she walked up to Natasha and asked her again.

“Where is he, Natasha?” she asked this time in Russian. Natasha’s skin had gone a ghostly shade of grey and her cheeks were moist with tears. She finally looked Dottie in the eye as the team watched on in silence.

“I'm sorry.” she replied in a barely audible whisper, “It required a soul for the stone, he sacrificed himself before I could stop him.”

Dottie stopped listening after that and left the platform. She could hear her father and someone else call after her but she didn’t stop for them. She stripped herself of the suit as she went and as soon as the boots were off her feet, she ran. She took off out of the compound, along the airstrip and up into the fields and woodland that enclosed them from the outside world. She didn’t stop until her bare foot slipped on a rock and she stumbled into a small ravine.

Soaked to the bone, wearing nothing but a vest and shorts, Dottie sat in that ravine and howled. The pain she felt the day she lost James and her daughter came rushing back to the surface once again as she struggled to keep it subdued. Clint was gone but this time there was no snap to bring him back. She knew this death would be permanent. 

She was pulled out of her grief when a huge, green hand nudged her shoulder. At some point it had gotten dark and her whole body had started to shake. She was cold but not as cold as she had been in her time in Russia, maybe that’s why she hadn’t felt it. Those huge, green hands gently guided themselves under her and plucked her up out of the river. She pulled herself into the warmth of his chest, almost reminiscent of the times James would hold her. She closed her eyes for a moment and opened them to find she was in the bright lights of the compound and no longer in someone’s warm embrace. She felt a hand stroke her cheek and her father’s face so close to her own.

“It's ok, Dottie. I’m here.” He whispered before her eyes closed once again and she fell into a deep sleep.

***

It was still dark outside when Dottie woke. Her mind jolted her awake from an awful nightmare; James was holding their baby as Clint stood besides him, both of them begging her to save them. Her eyes were stinging and sore from the tears she'd shed in her sleep.

Her father was snoozing in a chair besides her, his bandaged arm resting on the bed close to were her hand was. As she moved, he stirred and opened his eyes. She noticed then, there was a tiredness in his features from so many years of fighting. She could see, even if he couldn't, that he was done with it all. She spent to much time in Wakanda researching the man who was such a huge part of her, watching old videos and looked at old pictures, that she could see a change in him. The man who was once so eager to pick up his shield and run head first into any mission was slowly fading away. So much had changed in the last 5 years.

Steve took his daughter by the hand as he sat up and linked his fingers between hers. She looked so small, so vulnerable wrap in a blanket in his bed. The look in her eyes took him straight back to the first time they came face to face with one another in Bucharest. He walked into that apartment knowing that his life would change forever but he never knew it would be like this, that he would love her this much, that he would do anything for her.

“I think I’m a bad omen.”

“No, Dottie.” Steve replied as he shook his head, “It’s the life we live, it comes with a lot of complications. I used to think the same. I lost Bucky then I woke up in the future and lost your mom. It's always another fight, another battle.”

“How do you keep going, Papa? When does all the bad stop?” she sobbed. 

She crawled off the bed and onto her Papa's lap who opened his arms out to her. They hadn’t held onto each other like this since the first few days after the snap. 

“It stops when we bring them back. We have the stones now. By the end of the day you’ll have them both back and you can be a family again.”

“We, Papa. You're a part of this family too. Your granddaughter needs you just as much as your daughter does.”

“I'll be there, too. Don’t you worry about that.”

They dozed a little while longer in the comfort of each others embrace.

***

Dottie didn’t head straight to the lab with her father in the morning. Instead she took a detour to the lake where she found the one person she was looking for. Sat on a bench, watching over the stillness of the water was Natasha. Dottie took a seat besides her and sat in silence for a moment.

“I tried to stop him...”

“Natasha, this wasn't your fault.”

“It should have been me.”

“You know he wouldn’t have let you do that.”

“What do I tell his wife? His children?” Natasha snapped as tears began to roll down her cheeks.

“When we get them back, we will tell them the truth. That he died saving the world, that his sacrifice brought back half the universe.”

“I’m sorry, Dottie. I shouldn’t have mentioned them. This is all my fault.”

“Natasha, stop. You have to stop blaming yourself. Jesus, you're just as bad as my Papa. None of this; the snap, losing Clint, none of it is your fault. This lies on Thanos’ shoulders and his alone. Look at everything you've done since, everything you done to protect people. You are a selfless, strong, incredible person. Don't carry this on your shoulders, its not your burden to hold.”

Natasha just nodded then and looked out onto the lake as she took in what was said. Dottie felt so exhausted, she knew Natasha felt the same.

“Are you ok?” Natasha asked.

“Everyone I’ve ever gotten close to has died. I can’t help but feel like I’m responsible for each of them.”

A weak smile appeared on Natasha’s face, “I think you need to practice what you preach. Come on, let’s go bring back half the universe.”

Together, they headed inside to the lab where the stones were being kept. Stark had been working on them all night, creating something to house them in.

Most of the team were stood around the glass cabinet, staring at the contents in silence. Held within was a gauntlet not to dissimilar to the one Thanos had used all them years ago, except this one was custom hot rod red. Each stone had been placed besides it and gleaned when the light struck them. They were almost beautiful if they hadn’t been the cause of so much pain and destruction. 

“Give it to me, I shall do it.” Boomed Thor's voice from across the room. He was striding towards it like a man possessed. He wanted to be the one to right the wrongs, didn’t they all.

“Thor, it could kill you.” Stark piped up as he entered the room in an ironman suit. For just a moment, his eyes glanced towards Banner as he made his way to the glove, opening the cabinet encasing it. Banner nodded and walked over to join him, patting Thor's shoulder as he passed.

“It’s got to be me. I’m the only one big enough to take on the power. Thanos barely survived it, I doubt you would, buddy.”

“Do you not deem me strong enough, is that what it is?!” Thor boomed frantically. His distress was quelled momentarily when Rhodey took him to one side to calm him down. 

“Bruce, are you sure about this?” Natasha asked, almost pleading with him to reconsider.

Stark walked by Dottie and handed her a tablet with what looked like coordinates on the screen.

He whispered in her ear, “Hey, kid. Before we do this, you might want to be on a plane to Wakanda. We do this right, that should be were you should be.”

Dottie felt sick. She looked to Stark then back to her father, who had just joined them, unsure what to do. The jet could get her there is 3hrs provided there was minimum air traffic. But if it didn’t work, she couldn’t sit ideally by in that room waiting for her daughter to reappear when she wouldn’t. 

She shook her head, “No, I'm staying. We did this together as a team, let’s finish it that way.”

Stark nodded before turn back to Bruce, “Alright, here goes nothing.”

The air suddenly felt thick as everyone in the room took an inaudible breath in. Stark handed the gauntlet to Banner who took it in his tremoring green hands. The glove began adjusting to his size, the nano technology working with out command. He placed his hand inside before turning to pick up the stones. They seemed to shudder with excitement, almost jumping out of his hand to join together as one. As the last piece placed itself in his knuckle, the surge of its power shook the entire room forcing Steve to stand in front of his daughter, brandishing his shield. Banner shrieked in agony as the power of the stones surged through his body, burning his gloved arm and forcing him to his knees.

Dottie froze in shock at the sight of one of the strongest men she had ever met cowering in pain. Everything around her happened in a sea of slow movements. Thor was screaming for Banner to take it off, Stark and Rhodey were using force field like shields to protect Natasha, Lang and Rocket from the on slaughter of energy coming from the gauntlet and her father's arm was around her waist trying to protect her from it. She held on to his hand and looked into his ocean blue eyes. He looked frightened, just how she felt.

She heard Banner's scream above it all, “I can do it!” and a surge of energy threw them all into the walls surrounding them. Dottie found herself in her fathers embrace, the cool metal of his shield against her back as he used it to protect her from the impact. She held onto his suit for just a moment until he let his grip on her loosen.

“Are you ok?” he murmured into her hair.

She didn’t reply but jumped out of his arms and ran to Banner who was writhing in pain on the floor. Stark and Thor had beaten her to it as they tended to his wounds with soothing words and some medical foam. Dottie got to her feet once again and ran to the computer at the other end of the room. 

“FRIDAY, I need you to contact Wakanda. I have a number of someone there I need you to call.”

Dottie patched the number into the computer with shaking fingers. A waiting screen came on the display as her nose edged its way as close to it as possible. She felt a partially familiar gloved hand snake their fingers through hers as her father joined her at the screen. Suddenly, a connection was made and a blurred image came on the screen.

“Aveena, are you there?” Dottie stuttered.

Her face finally came into view as she held the camera of her phone up. She could see the shock on Aveena's features and the glimpse of a tiny, pink hand on her chest. 

“Dottie? What on earth is going on? Where the hell are you?”

Words escaped her. There on the screen and could be hear murmuring in the background was her beautiful baby girl. Steve put his arm around her waist to stop her from collapsing, she held onto him with all the strength she had left. 

Steve had to be her voice for her as she tried to keep it together, “I’m sorry to inform you miss, but it’s been 5 years since Dottie was last in that room. We'll explain when we can but I need you to get the baby to...”

And as if Steve had summoned him with his words, James could be seen in the background barging through the door of the hospital room. 

“Where is she?” he could be heard bellowing until he caught sight of Aveena with his daughter in his arms. The invisible weight he always carried on his shoulders dropped as he made his way towards her. Aveena handed the baby over to him so gently, making sure to keep the camera focused on him. Dottie made an audible cry for them both as she watched her husband and their child finally meet. 

James looked up at the camera with a smile, tears in his eyes, “Dottie, she looks just like you.”

“Oh, James. You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed about this.” She managed to sniffle, as tears of her own streamed down her face. 

“How...”

The visual and the audio cut out and the screen went blank. Dottie looked to her father in confusion about to demand that they get the connection back when a vibration through the air and an explosion ripped through the compound and knock Dottie into unconsciousness.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the big bad! And a reunion we've all been waiting for...

Dottie didn’t come too straight away. Steve pulled his daughter from the rubble of what was left of the compound and began pounding on her chest to wake her. She finally woke with a gasp trying to inhale as much of the thick, dusty air now surrounding them. She clung to her father until she could catch her breath again.

“You alright?” He gasped trying to get her to her feet.

“What on earth is going on?” she spluttered once she got the thick of the debree out of her lungs.

Steve didn’t reply, he was looking around the wreckage trying to assess the situation. He found Stark only metres away, his suit pinned under a breeze block. Between Steve and Dottie they managed to lift it enough for him to blast his way out. Once free, Stark flew into the sky to take a look at the total damage.

“Shit!” he called out to them, “It’s Thanos.”

“How? He's dead!” replied an exasperated Thor who had just roused himself out of another patch of rubble.

“I don't think it's Thanos from this time. Where was Nebula when Bruce snapped his fingers?”

Stark had a good point. Dottie couldn’t recall seeing Nebula at all that day or speaking to her when she returned with Rhodey. It was the only explanation, he had come through their time machine and now it was destroyed.

“Where's the gauntlet?” Dottie asked, with a hint of panic in her voice. They had to get the gauntlet before Thanos did or they were doomed to lose half of the universe all over again. She wouldn’t allow it not when she had just got her family back.

“Under all of this, somewhere.” Her father grumbled.

Dottie looked around but she couldn’t see anything except for Thanos' ship and the sight of which terrified her. It loomed over what was left of the desecrated compound, blocking out the sun and spreading it’s destruction for miles around. Dottie pulled her gun from its holster on her thigh and counted the bullets in the chamber. She thanked her lucky stars that her subconscious told her to wear it that day to her fathers dismay, but 12 bullets wouldn’t be enough. She cursed under her breath and looked to her father.

“Should have gotten on that damn plane, Dolores.” He quipped, a hint of frustration under his breath.

“And miss out on finally fighting along side you, Papa? Absolutely not. This is where I’m supposed to be.”

Steve smirked at her stubbornness. She'd told him time and time again that one day she would be joining him on the battle field and he always said he wouldn’t let that happen. Now, he had no other choice.

Dottie caught sight of Thanos sat amongst the debree, casually waiting for them. She had never had the pleasure of seeing him face to face before. He was a huge, purple brute, menacing to look at but he was more than just physically powerful. Every move he made was precise and calculated. He had his eyes on all four of them as Dottie, her father, Stark and Thor came together to confront him. Dottie could feel her trigger finger itching to put an end to the beast that had caused all of them so much pain. 

“Here, kid.”

Stark had removed the left hand glove from his suit and handed it to her. She placed her hand inside and felt the blaster in her palm threaten to fire under the flex of her wrist. She nodded her thanks to him, as did her father. 

Together, the four of them marched on. Dottie could feel Thor’s power ignite besides her as he called on both his weapons. Her father was on her other side, a step ahead of her and with his shield flanking her.

“You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you?”

He remained seated as they stopped within a few yards of him. He register them with a glance before continuing, “I want to thank you, for showing me the error of my ways. If it was not for yourselves, I would not have seen the flaw in my plans.”

“Well if you thought we would just lie back and take it, you’re sadly mistaken.” Stark quipped.

“Indeed. I know now what I must do. While you cling to the memories of those you have lost, you won't stop. But if I take the memories away too?”

Dottie felt the roaring flames of rage burning her insides. Never had she despised anyone like this; not the dirty low lives her and Clint killed, not Hydra, not even Pierce had made her feel hatred quite like she did in that moment. 

Thanos stood before them all and placed his helmet back on his head before picking up a sword taller than any of them. Dottie did what Clint had taught her to do and analyse her opponent before an attack. Obviously Thanos' size and weight were to his advantage, as was his armour. There were very few areas of his skin left uncovered except for his face and hands, those would be the areas Dottie would target. She knew she couldn’t pierce his armour, hell, she might not even be able to damage his flesh with the weapons she had but she would damn near try. She couldn’t take him down alone, but if she could wound him enough, one of the others could finish the job.

It was Thor who struck the madman first. Bolts of electricity passed through his body and lit up the air around them. Dottie could feel his energy as he weilded his might axe and hammer as one. Blow after blow, Thanos defended them, moving faster in his armour than she anticipated. Dottie dodged out of the way of the fight, shooting beams from Stark’s thruster at her opponent when a gap opened up. Thor and Stark were battered aside like rag dolls as her father went in with his shield. Dottie rounded up beside him, running towards Thanos who was concentrating on her father more so than herself. She ducked out of the way of his fist as it attempted to toss her aside and managed to get herself behind him, climbing up his vast physic to get her arms around his neck. She missed her father’s shield by millimetres at it collided with the titans helmet but she still clung on. She had the perfect shot, her gun to his temple as her father had put a kink in his armour but Thanos was too quick for her. He grasped her petite frame in one giant paw and threw her into what was left of a concrete wall.

Pain coursed through her body at the impact, taking the wind out of her sails. She laid on the ground and took a moment to let it subside before moving. To her surprise, nothing felt broken as she attempted to stand. As she reared her head, the sight before her made her numb to the core. Her father stood alone before Thanos and his army of thousands, holding nothing but half a shield and Thor's hammer. He was staggering, but more determined than ever to win this fight. The odds were impossible, but Dolores dragged her feet up from beneath her and stood by her father's side.

“You alright?” he gasped at her between breaths.

“Just peachy, Papa. Since when were you worthy of Thor's hammer?”

A tired chuckle left his lips as he readied his stance, focusing on the fight ahead, “Looks like it’s just you and me kid.”

“Not quite.”

Dottie knew that voice without having to turn around. She felt her knees almost buckle as she grabbed onto her father's arm before looking to the man she had spent so long mourning. There was her James stepping through one of over a dozen glowing portals. She ran to him and clung on to the man she had missed so very much.

In the middle of what was soon to be a battle field, she took him all in. His heartbeat was pounding so loud in her ear it brought a giggle to her lips as she concentrated solely on listening to it. He brought his fingers up into her hair and she cherished the feel of them running through her tatters. She pulled back to gaze into her husband’s ocean blues before planting him with a long awaited kiss. For him, he had just given her and her rounded belly one last kiss earlier that morning.

“Where is our baby?” Dottie gasped as she broke the kiss, feeling an automatic weapon in his arms.

“Aveena has her, she's safe.” James murmured, taking in a good look at his wife, “You look so different.”

“These last 5 years haven't been kind to me, James.” She admitted, “I never thought I’d see you again.”

“I'm here now, I’m not going anywhere.” He whispered as their foreheads touched and they took one last tender kiss before joining Steve.

As Dottie looked around, they were surrounded by so many people; some familiar, some she'd never seen before. There were people from Wakanda, aliens from outer space, magicians creating these huge portals for people to pass through. All of them here to fight. Dolores felt a huge amount of pride as she looked around and grinned to her father. Maybe, just maybe, they could do this.

With her gun now long discarded, Dottie flexed the fingers of Stark's thrust to make sure it wasn’t damaged. It glowed once again in her palm as she took her rightful place besides her father. Stark and Thor had finally roused themselves and took a stand along side them.

“Nat and Lang have got the stones. They're trying to get them to Lang's van in a hope that they can get them the hell out of dodge.” Stark informed them as his suit touched the ground, “Nice to see Bonnie and Clyde have reunited.”

Dottie chuckled to herself as her husband grimaced, “We've got the whole band back together.”

Steve took one final look around before standing ahead of the small army that had come together behind him.

“Avengers!” he bellowed at the top of his lungs, all eyes where on him now, “Assemble.”


End file.
